Landlady wants cash!

zzzLazyDaisy

Does the tenancy agreement specify how the rent is to be paid? If it states that the rent is to be paid by standing order, then you are entitled to continue doing this, as it is a part of the contract.

If not, as others have said, make sure you get receipts. Also, when withdrawing the money from your bank, don't lump the rent money in with any other cash withdrawal, so that if there is any dispute later about whether you have paid the rent, you will be able to show a paper trail from your bank (of course this doesn't prove you've actually paid it over, but it would form part of the over-all evidence on your side).

Personally I think she is up to no good, but the main thing from your point of view is to keep paying the rent and to maintain proof that you have done so.

poppysarah

I would really not want to be taking large amounts of cash out.
I would refuse to change the way she's paid and let her evict you for ... erm payment of rent.

Seriously would be good to get to court with this one - and let her explain to a judge why she wants cash.

Cash is inconvenient. You have no-where safe to store cash in the house. How much cash does your insurance cover you for?

If she insists on cash (and I'd move tbh cos if she isn't paying the mortgage then you'll have to anyway) then insist she pays for a safe to be bought and installed in your house. They're not dear but are permanent (more or less)

DawnW

If you do end up agreeing to this (and it sounds odd) then do insist on proper receipts each time you pay, and keep these in a safe place.

On the other side of the coin, I have a tenant who cannot get it together to pay by SO as was stated in their tenancy agreement, and which I would very much prefer, so I have the pain of organising receipts, getting cash to bank etc.

So it can be an issue both ways.

theartfullodger

She sounds well dodgy: In your shoes I would simply present her with a cheque ,,,,and a covering letter explaining why.

She has done everything else?? IE Gas safety cert etc??

Cheers!

Lodger (A Landlord)

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theartfullodger wrote: »

She sounds well dodgy: In your shoes I would simply present her with a cheque ,,,,and a covering letter explaining why.

She has done everything else?? IE Gas safety cert etc??

Cheers!

Lodger (A Landlord)

Blatant tax dodger. Tell her you want your rent cutting by £50 or you will report her to the feds.

Only reason for wanting cash in hand. If she gets arzy, knobble her. we all need to pay our fair share.

poppysarah

I still think it'd be amusing to get taken to court for payment of rent by non-preferred method.

Colincbayley

I doubt she is only dodging the tax, I reckon she is in trouble with her mortgage.
If she wants cash, make her call round and collect it and give you a fully completed rent book.

Start looking for a new home, as if she is not paying the mortgage and doesn't have permission to let the property then you could be out with only 14 days notice!!!!!

jassco

I'm with the others on this one, definitely something dodgy!

If she's an untrustworthy character (which is looking very likely), then be very careful when and where you hand over the cash. It would be awfully inconvenient for you to get mugged just before you hand a big pile of cash over to her. For that reason alone I'd refuse, and instead pay by SO / cheque even if she doesn't like it. You're going to have to move soon anyway when (not if) she gets discovered either fiddling her taxes or not paying her mortgage, so no harm in upsetting her.

silvercar

I'm trying to think of a legitimate reason why she would not want the rent going into her bank account. I can only think of 2.

a) If she has an overdraft on that account and doesn't want the money swallowed as she needs it to pay other bills (possibly including the mortgage).

b) If she is going through a financial settlement and doesn't want the rent money to be seen as a regular income eg child maintenance issues could mean having to pay a percentage of it over when the CSA may not consider the mortgage expense that the rent is needed to pay.

DVardysShadow

I agree Landlady has some problems. It may be that she has an overdraft which has been called in and the bank are just taking the rent payments to drop the overdraft. Personally, I would not want to be keeping rent books or receipts, I would just suggest that she opens another bank account and change payment to that. Face up to it, she is in enough trouble that the tenancy is not destined to last. So the more she takes the hump at a refusal to pay cash, the more you can expect that circumstances will force the tenancy to an end before she gives notice.